Sunday, July 15, 2012

Obscured By Clouds: Chapter 3 - Battle In the Sky

3 – Battle In The Sky

As Brazi soared upwards, Katlin had noticed dark
shapes approaching the Feigh cloud from north. Keen eyes detected creatures
with wings bearing down on the Feigh. Perhaps there were 10 of them, perhaps a
little more or a little less. The Feigh seemed to have sensed their approach
and they turned to face outwards, palms facing out to form a ring around the
cloud.
Cornelius has been nodding agreement with Brazi but rose quickly to his feet as
he heard Katlin's words of warning.

Katllin snarled and shucked off her garment (which is
designed to be easy to get out of). Then there was a brief moment of eye
wrenching shift change, and she became a 180 pound panther! She rose into the
air, testing her new power of flight, and joined the hovering Brazi who was
checking out the approaching goblins with his sharp bat eyes (bats actually see
very well). He grasped his staff like a cricket bat and took a couple of warm
us swings.

The Hellkat flexed her formidable claws and showed her
impressive fangs.

As the Hellkat and Manbat left the cloud craft, the winds
picked up and the rain lashed down. Visibility became poor as darkness enfolded
the world about them. Brazi was an experienced navigator of the air currents
even in such turbulent conditions but Katlin was not and struggled to master
her new power against these grim circumstance. She rose and then plummeted,
desperately striving to make the necessary adjustments.

Cornelius Allen had seen 6 goblins homing in on his new
friends, two from above and two from each flank. It was clear that they would
soon have to fight an aerial battle – possibly a one-sided battle if the
Hellkat could not come to terms with the art of flying and the wizard failed to
stand against the bitter elements. The goblins had no weapons that they could
see but their talons looked razor sharp and the tails ended in a heavy ball
which it was easy to imagine whipping down like a hammer on an anvil. They must
live their lives in the air and could be expected to be masters of this
element.

Brazi saw
that the goblins needed their wings to stay airborne. He also saw that they sought
to gain altitude to attack from above. "Target their wings," he
squeaked to Kat and Cornelius Allen. "That is their weakness. "Hold
That Pose will make them fall." He grabbed Kat's scruff and the wizard's
belt, and squeaked, "Now! Fly up with all your might. We must rise above
them, or be at disadvantage!" The Manbat's mighty wings now laboured
to assist his magically acquired flight powers to take the trio up above their
assailants.

As the goblins
approached Brazi bombarded the leaders with his very high pitched
echolocation squeaks (which are painful and disorienting to some
creatures). Being careful not to let his powerful tough batwings strike his
friends he prepared to play cricket with goblin heads and wings with his staff.

At the same time Kat let out a Hellkat scream intending to scare the hraka out
of the goblins. It was a truly terrifying sound.

Cornelius Allen succeeded in casting his Hold That pose spell under the
pressure of the threat to his life from the winged goblins. He then concentrated
on flying and avoiding Brazi's wings, as did Kat before she screamed. The spell
took its grip on the innermost of the goblins attacking on Cornelius' side. The
fiend frooze in mid-flight and instantly plummeted earthwards. Its companion made
no attempt to give help. Cornelius Allen yelled out at the top of his lungs
'Eat dirt, buster!' and shook his fist with one finger sticking out.

Both Kat and Cornelius were able to stay away from Brazi's fearsome wings and
felt comfortable in the air with their magical flight capability. The high
pitched echolocations emitted by the Manbat appeared to leave the goblins
unphased but the Hellkat's scream caused the five attacking goblins to recoil
just for a brief moment before they attacked again. Cornelius Allen had never
heard the like of Kat's scream and could not help but look at the puma.

Two goblins clawed at Brazi, seeking to avoid his wings and the staff but he had
caught a favourable current and was above them. They worked effectively
together to offset the altitude advantage the Manbat had, moving deftly about
him. It was certain that they appreciated the threat his cricket bat technique
posed and they were on the backfoot.
Two more goblins focused on the puma who they could see was a less competent
flyer, notwithstanding their assessment of her fangs and claws as a match for
the ferocity of her scream

Cornelius Allen had Hold That Pose ready again. As he took in Brazi's
instruction, he launched his spell at a goblin, screwing up his handsome
features in the effort to get the spell right now he was outside the safe
confines of wizard school.

Both Kat and CA now had to be concerned about the obviously lethal wings their
friend possessed. To be struck by the down sweep of one of those gargantuan
monstrosities would not be good for one's health. They both found the magical
flying gift of the Feigh to be comfortable as they lifted up from the cloud
craft. Were they confident enough to fly without Brazi's support?

As the great
Manbat sought to find a current to take him higher, the goblins closed in.
Their grinning faces spoke not of humour but of malice about to be unleashed.
They screamed as they came, no doubt hurling insults at these creatures who
were with their prey. Those who had any knowledge of the goblin language would
have made some sense of their taunts and curses but would have found this to be
a harsher, more gutteral tongue than their earth-bound cousins spoke.

Katlin hurled herself on the goblin pair like a
buzzsaw! Try to imagine being in the woods and hearing that screech and then
seeing the wide fanged jaws and two terrifically clawed paws coming at you like
a buzzsaw! Then you get some idea of the attack of the Puma Lady. Sheer feline
maternal rage at creatures which killed her babies! She bit and slashed with
forepaws, grabbing them and raking with the hind feet claws, a manoeuvre that
disembowels one hapless victim. She saw the goblin wings as targets of
opportunity, wanting to see how well they fly with a shredded or broken wing.
Attacking their wings also gave this highly intelligent monster a way to keep
clear of their claws. The Hellkat was very fast even in this alien element.

The first goblin had badly misjudged what would be
coming at him. Seeking to claw Katlin, he was overpowered first by her claws,
which broke his leading forelimb, and then by the jaws which seized upon his
second arm, allowing her to shake him like a rag doll. His eyes rolled in
agony. The second goblin rushed in from behind, using his brother’s misfortune
to provide and advantage. The goblin slashed with talons much less lethal than
Katlin’s but nonetheless with the potential for death. Even whilst she continued
to crunch and shake her hapless prey, she spun in mid-flight, whirling the
goblin’s body round as a whining, shrieking shield. Largely successful in the
manoeuvre, the big cat took spite damage to her left shoulder as the goblin
backed off, awed by the beast he was
battling.

Brazi fell on his goblins like a thunderbolt, so comfortable in the air. The
skill coupled with the ferocity of the Manbat’s violent attack was too much for
the goblins to deal with. After fending off a series of blows, Brazi crunched his
flailing staff down on one of the goblin’s wings, shattering bone. It was six
and out for the goblin. It fell helplessly from Brazi’s reach, screeching
piteously. The second goblin was now much more cautious, feinting left and
right, seeking an opening in the batsman’s defences. Brazi played a straight
bat and the goblin began to back off from his opponent. Brazi’s staff continued
to whirl in a blur of motion and it was clear that the goblin did not fancy
contact with the hard wood whirlwind with which it was presented.

Cornelius Allen saw how well the battle in the air was
going for his companions and decided to take out the goblin swooping down on
him. With a carefully focused finger, the young wizard lined his foe up and
unleashes a TTYF . The goblin howled,
blasted backwards by the flash of khremm-charged energy, it’s head smoking from
the destructive spell. Knocked off balance, it dropped below the Feigh
craft-cloud, spinning hopelessly towards Planet Earth far below.Cornelius Allen permitted himself a smirk of
satisfaction and then checked on his fellow fighters, the Feigh and the other
goblins.

He
saw that his companions were adept at taking care of themselves and, as the
large group of goblins formed a tighter ring about the cloud, ignoring their
three falling minions, the Feigh had begun sending out an inflating ring of
white light towards their conquerors.

Both Hellkat and Manbat had taken the measure of
their foes, and found them wanting.

Kat had also added the fury of being wounded to her
normal volcanic wrath, and she was beginning to get the hang of this flying
thing. With another petrifying scream of Cougar rage she hurled herself at the
remaining gob. Brazi had been cautious until now, but, with a thunderous flap
of his mighty wings, he too took the attack to his remaining adversary.

The retreating goblin was not quick enough to elude the Manbat. The staff whirled
and scythed in a blur of destruction before landing squarely on the outclassed
goblin's skull. Its eyes rolled and its tongue flopped out as the cracking of
its skull resounds through the air.
As Kat flung her feline form at the other retreating goblin, one of the band
further away had been preparing a different sort of attack.

Taking a leaf out of Cornelius Allen's book, the
puma felt the steely grip of another Hold That Pose spell, The cowering
goblin's look of terror turned to a twisted smile as the HelKat began to lose
altitude - fast!

And the young wizard? He saw two goblins heading towards him armed with spears.
That didn't look too good…

Peripherally, all the combatants were aware of a ring of cloud substance,
formed and sent out by the Feigh, transforming its shape from a circle to that
of a cylinder, enveloping gradually all bar the larger group of goblins who had
kept a watching brief over this battle.

Brazi could not
bear the risk of Kat falling to her death. Calling to the wizard to follow him
in haste, he banked his wings and dove like a hawk after the falling Hellkat.
He would use the wings to accelerate his pursuit if needed.

He did need
to - Kat was falling like a stone. The Manbat swept away from the goblin
cringing as he eyed him up with violent intent and swooped down after the puma.

Cornelius Allen noticed that the goblins were retreating as the Feigh
cloud-cylinder formed. He supposed they didn't want to get enclosed by it and
he made a mental note to ask the angel-folk about if he lived through this.
Desperately hoping that the ruse would work, the wizard yelled "Dragon
Breath' at the top his lungs and cast Call Flame against the two goblins with
the spears. He sure hoped they wouldn't see through his ruse, faced with the
Feigh magic and the threat of dragon fire backed up by real heat scorching
their faces!

It worked as
far as one of the winged fiends was concerned but its partner in slime cast the
flint-tipped missile before dipping its wings and high-tailing it out of there.
The goblin wasn't subtle about his intentions and he was hampered by his hair
-which he had just discovered had caught fire. The wizard was going to have to
get out of the path of the spear before trying anything else.

Brazi's
quick reactions enabled him to rescue his love in his strong, big hand,
effortlessly taking the puma's weight as he spread his wings again to stop his
descent. Gliding smoothly, he then turned on his back to see what or who may be
following him. He tucked Kat's limp form under his left arm, holding the
formidable staff now in his right hand. As he looked up, he saw two of the
goblins coming towards him with a net spread between them.

The wizard meanwhile twisted desperately but the spear flew straight and true
on its deadly flight. He was able to do no more than spin as the projectile
took him in the left shoulder. Cornelius Allen could not suppress a cry of pain
and then saw blood spreading across his armour, through a rent in the leather.
He dropped to his knees and screwed up his face in concentration as he tried to
stay conscious. Fortunately the Feigh protective cylinder had thwarted the
intentions of the goblins but Cornelius Allen wondered in his pain if it could
last long - surely if it had great duration the Feigh would not have been cast
out by these creatures.

The goblin wizard's spell lost its efficacy now and Kat began to stir in her
beloved's secure grasp. Brazi, seeing the peril of being netted, grasped
Kate to his broad chest, squeaked "Hold on, dearest, this could get
rough!", and began to manoeuvre vigorously, much like a normal bat
will do in pursuit of some insect treat, his huge wings flapping furiously, and
his staff held ready to help fend off the net, or strike those trying to cast
it over him. At the same time he worked to gain altitude or fly above his
pursuers (which would make netting him more difficult) and return to assist
Cornelius.

The intentions of the Manbat were sound but reality
proved to have sharp teeth. The goblins were encumbered by the net but this was
a form of hunting they practiced regularly. Brazi was not so experienced at
flying whilst holding a reviving puma - but then who was. The goblins were not
about to give the advantage of altitude to the Manbat and they were circumspect
about his vicious staff. Despite his determined flapping and torturous feints
and twists, the goblins jockey themselves into position to wrap the net round
their prey. Kat could do little but scream her Hellkat roar at the goblins.

Cornelius Allen had tried to rise to his feet but the effort was too much for
him with the blood loss rapidly draining his energies. He toppled headlong into
the cloud cylinder the Feigh had created about them and him. He sprawled in the
soft material, head out in the open air, lashed again by the cold, harsh rain.
Cornelius Allen saw the danger his two beast friends were in and, with his last
reserves of his will, cast a final spell before blackness engulfed him...

The Oh Go Away spell took its grip on one of the net-casting goblins and he
spun and fled in sheer panic, yanking the net with him and his fellow off
balance with it. Lightning forked down through the black skies and, at this,
the goblin leader sounder a trumpet of retreat. The trailing net was within
reach of Brazi's clawhands now.

Kat
was revived enough to fly, but a little unsure of herself. Brazi wisely
let her go. He saw his chance to grab the net and use it to his advantage
and when he did do, he reeled the goblin in like a fish on a line. The creature
was too stupid to let go.

The
other goblins flew off, not concerned much about the loss of their net and even
less so about their companion. Kat then noticed Cornelius Allen disappearing
back into the Feigh cylinder. She was absolutely soaked now and beginning to
feel the effects of the cold, way up here in the sky. The thunderclap which
then sounded drowned out the goblin's howls. Lightning illuminated their part
of the sky, revealing brown streaks now appearing in the Feigh cylinder. She
also noticed that their cloud was losing altitude.